8 best alternatives to ecobee3 as of 2018 - Slant

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Nest Learning Thermostat

Top Pro

Amazing design

The Nest thermostat looks like a piece of tech from the future. It's fully circular and certainly looks the part of a smart thermostat. The display takes up the majority of the unit, and makes good use of its LCD display when not in use. It can display an analog or digital clock instead of the temperature if you prefer. See More

Top Con

Doesn't provide room-by-room sensing

The Nest Thermostat doesn't have any other hardware that integrates into it. That means that it only senses temperature from a single point, which means that there can be cool/hot spots in other rooms where the temperature isn't being taken. See More

Top Pro

Learns your preferences and adjusts accordingly

Nest begins learning as soon as you install it. In a short time, it will automatically be adjusting your temperature based on time of day, or how active the house is. For the first few weeks you may need to adjust the Nest a few degrees when required, but eventually it will learn when you adjust it and will start adjusting itself automatically based on how you manually adjusted it before. See More

Top Con

Hardware control is through a rotating ring

On the Nest itself, the homeowner rotates the ring on the edge of the Nest as the primary way to interact with it. Most controls will need to be done through the app. See More

Top Pro

Easy installation

The Nest Thermostat is the easiest smart thermostat to install. It comes with the required mini screwdriver, and there's a level built-in to make sure the Nest is installed properly. The included baseplate helps cover up any imperfections left from removing your previous thermostat. Installation is straightforward, and only takes about 10 minutes. See More

Top Con

Long wait times for support

If you run into issues, calling tech support can sometimes lead to long wait times. See More

Top Pro

Motion activation available for alternative mode of controll

This version of the Nest includes motion sensors that can detect motion from across the room. Previous generations of Nest could only detect motion up to a meter away, but with this generation of Nest the utility is greatly increased. Motion sensing is useful, because it will sense when you are at home or if you are away automatically, without needing to adjust the thermostat manually. See More

Top Pro

Integrates with many other products: Nest, Alexa, and IFTTT

Nest also makes other products, such as it's Nest Cam, and smart smoke detector. Alexa is the voice assistant in the Amazon Echo line of products, and the Nest thermostat can be fully controlled by Alexa. This is important because Alexa can control devices through 100% hands-free voice support. IFTTT (IF This Then That) is an ecosystem to itself that allows users to create their own custom recipes based on triggers. For example, if it's expected to be humid, the Nest can automatically lower its setpoint to compensate for it. You can also configure other triggers such as location or time of day to determine when the Nest is on or off. See More

Top Pro

Shows energy savings

The Nest app will actually show you how much your smart thermostat is saving you on electricity. See More

Top Pro

Complete control from app

Even if you're not home, or you're in the kitchen cooking, and need to change the temperature, you can do it all from your app. See More

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Honeywell RTH9580WF

Top Pro

Automatically works to reduce power usage

Instead of continuously heating and cooling, this thermostat can use a fan mode instead of full cooling to help preserve power while still providing adequate comfort. See More

Top Con

The user interface appears cluttered

While the UI is very functional, it appears cluttered as it tries to display a bunch of information all on the same display. On the main screen, there are 4 tabs on top, two buttons to adjust the setpoint, and it displays the current indoor temperature as well. On the left it displays current information such as date, time, weather conditions, and the status of the system. Some will appreciate this layout for its functionality, but others will find it cluttered and not appealing. See More

Top Pro

Notification support keeps you in the know

If there was an extreme temperature change, Honeywell lets you know. It can also notify you when it's time to change your air filter. Notifications like these are a nice addition, as it keeps you in the loop about what's going on with your house. See More

Top Con

Installation can be difficult

The tools you require aren't included, and depending on your HVAC system the installation can be tricky if you try to do it yourself. See More

Top Pro

Configurable schedule to suit your needs

You can schedule the settings for every day of the week through the dashboard. You can also edit your settings at any time. See More

Top Con

Doesn't learn as much

While this smart temperature can learn, it doesn't learn as much as other smart thermostats. It relies more on programming. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful interface

The interface is extremely attractive but also informative. It will tell you the indoor temperature and humidity as well as the outdoor temperature and humidity. See More

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Tado Smart Thermostat

Top Pro

Cross platform support for all major operating systems

There is an Android app, an iOS app, and even a Windows Phone app. There is also a web app that lets you control the thermostat from any web browser. This is a thermostat that you won't need to worry about compatibility with. See More

Top Con

Installation is very tough

Tado suggests you get the wiring done professionally. While it's convenient that there is a conversation between you and Tado to figure things out ahead of time - making sure the installation itself goes well - it's inconvenient that you need to have it set up professionally when the other major thermostats can usually be wired with relative ease. See More

Top Pro

Very configurable scheduling

You can configure the Tado thermostat to have one setpoint during the day while you're away at work or sleeping, and another setpoint when you are at home requiring heating. See More

Top Con

Limited controls through the thermostat itself

The thermostat is minimal, and it lacks the functionality of normal thermostats if you want to control it through the physical wall mounted unit. Just about all of the controls will need to be done through the app. See More

Top Pro

Great UI

The UI is similar across the different apps and webpage, which makes it easy to use any other UI if you're familiar with one. It's also laid out very nicely, and provides weather reminders as well. See More

Top Con

Requires a hub to be plugged into your router

You will need to use the hub, which is another piece of equipment in your house. It also needs to be plugged directly into the router which means one less available port on the router. The requirement of the hub means that the range is limited, which could mean that the thermostat has connection issues depending on where it's installed (walls or far distances will lessen the signal strength). See More

Top Pro

Automatic location based control

Based on your location, the Tado thermostat can automatically determine when it needs to be on and when it can stay in idle mode saving power. This location data isn't monitored by a motion sensor - instead it uses your phone's location so that by the time you arrive home it should already be a suitable temperature. See More

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Netatmo Thermostat

Top Pro

Learns, and can adjust to weather as well as your home

After a couple weeks of learning, you can switch to a PID (proportional integral derivative) control. This uses predictive and learned behavior to provide the best heating experience possible. PID control looks at weather conditions, and adjusts its cycling to compensate for it. For example, if a sudden cold front is expected, the system will turn on earlier than normal to ensure the temperature stays at a comfortable level. Also, PID takes into consideration your house's insulation properties, which let it perform better than merely waiting until the temperature reaches the upper/lower setpoint values. See More

Top Con

Hardware feels basic

While other smart thermostats let you use the thermostat itself for virtually any adjustments, the Netatmo Thermostat only displays the setpoint temperature (in bold black) and the current temperature (outlined). The display is E-ink, which doesn't look as good as good as LCDs and can't display colours. Also, there is no backlight making it impossible to see with the lights off. See More

Top Pro

Energy tracking built-in

You will be able to view energy reports from the daily, weekly, monthly or yearly view. This can help you save up to 37% on your power bill (and help pay off the thermostat itself) by recognizing high power times and adjusting the temperature to save power during those times. See More

Top Con

Limited controls on the thermostat itself

On the thermostat itself, you can only change the temperature. All other controls must be implemented from the app on your phone, through Siri, or through the web app. See More

Top Pro

Works with Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and has a web app

No matter if your family is divided across mobile platforms, everybody can still control the Netatmo Thermostat. There is also a web app, so it can be controlled using a computer or on other phones and tablets by logging in to the web app. See More

Top Pro

Great customizable scheduling system

You can set the schedule to virtually anything you could want - multiple heating and cooling periods each day, and you can even save different schedules and switch between them with the tap of a button in the app if you so choose. See More

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Honeywell Lyric

Top Pro

Can turn on/off automatically based on your location

The Lyric can turn on and off based on your location (or, more specifically, your phone's location). By default, this geo-fence is 7 miles, giving the thermostat enough time to get the back to a comfortable temperature. This can be changed, all the way down to 500 feet if you have a short commute. See More

Top Con

Not compatible with all routers

Your router needs to have DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) otherwise this thermostat won't connect to your network. See More

Top Pro

Futuristic design

It has a clean white front, with basic controls and large fonts. All the edges are trimmed with a stylish black, and the device produces an attractive glow behind it which helps make it stand out. See More

Top Con

Specific (more expensive) battery requirements

In order to provide longer battery life, the Lyric requires a AAA lithium battery - regular AAA batteries won't provide sufficient juice. See More

Top Pro

Easy installation

The Lyric app provides step by step instructions, starting from removing your old thermostat all the way through until the end. There is just 1 small typo - the app says you don't need to connect the power wire (Rh) when indeed you do. See More

Top Con

Buggy

The geo-fence feature can sometimes set the thermostat to 'away' while you're still in the house. Notifications also don't always make it through, as sometimes all you get are generic looking error messages. These bugs are likely to be fixed through future software updates, however currently they come as part of the product. See More

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Elgato Eve Thermo

Top Pro

Room-by-room control, scheduling, and heating

Because each Eve Thermo is assigned to a single room, it can accomplish a steadier temperature than a single central thermostat. You can assign each room to a different schedule, for example your bedroom heater can be turned off during the day while the rest of your house receives the heat instead. See More

Top Con

Only available in the UK

Top Pro

Small, sleek looking hardware

The Eve Thermo is physically small, and plugs into your heaters which are usually hidden out of sight. This allows it to discreetly add smart heating to your house without creating an eye-sore on a prominent wall. If the device is in a location where it will be seen however, it looks very sleek with it's polished white colour and rounded square design. See More

Top Con

Not a whole-house unit

The Eve Thermo only connects to a single heating element. That means that for your entire house to be heated this way, you'd need one Thermo for every room in your house - at which point it would be much more cost-effective to get a single smart thermostat. The Eve Thermo is better suited as a complementary device - one that is installed alongside your current (or future) thermostat. The Eve Thermo works very well when it comes to regulating temperature in a tricky room (where a normal thermostat leaves it either too warm or too cold), and that is where it excels. See More

Top Con

Powered by disposable AA batteries

The battery life is expected to be about 8 months, which is pretty good. However, you will need to replace the batteries from time to time which also adds to the overall cost of this product. See More

Top Con

Limited control distance

The Eve Thermo only connects via Bluetooth, and has a short range (~4 meters). You won't be able to adjust the temperature from outside the room, unless you have an Apple TV 3rd gen (the Apple TV hooks up to the Thermo, and allows control through Wi-Fi which can be accessed and adjusted from anywhere in the world with an internet connection). See More

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iDevices Thermostat

Top Con

Multiple touches required for simple actions

Because the screen is so small and pixelated, very little can be displayed on the screen at one time. This forces the menus to be longer, which requires more button presses to scroll down and then select the action, and then finally adjust it. It would also be helpful if text was used instead of just icons, as then you'd never have to guess what an icon represents. See More

Top Pro

Affordable price for a basic HomeKit thermostat.

This thermostat is priced about $100 cheaper than any other option that currently integrates with HomeKit. For users who don't want/wouldn't use any fancy features but just want great Siri integration, this thermostat will suffice and at a more wallet-friendly price. See More

Top Con

Lacks any standout features

As of right now (future updates could change this), the iDevices thermostat doesn't provide any compelling reason to choose it over any other HomeKit thermostat. It doesn't add any features of its own - instead it only has features provided by HomeKit itself which are present on many other thermostats. The screen is small and pixelated, and it still uses buttons instead of a touchscreen. It also looks more like a standard thermostat than the others. Overall, the iDevices thermostat may be the cheapest option, but it's very uninspiring. See More

Top Pro

More features in the works

While this thermostat is very feature-light at the moment, Bluetooth hardware is present which will allow for more features in the future. Geo-fencing and pattern recognition software are two features currently in development, however the other thermostats already offer these features and more. See More

Top Con

Installation is harder than it should be

Wiring the iDevices Thermostat requires a small precision screw driver (not included), and unlike many other smart thermostats it doesn't automatically detect which HVAC system you have (you will need to look that up, whether it's gas or electric fired, and potentially what kind of pumps and valves are used). The whole installation process is a lot more involved than other smart thermostats. See More

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Sensi Wi-Fi Programmable Thermostat UP500W

Top Pro

Programmable from the thermostat itself

All of the functions of your phone can also be done right on the thermostat. If you frequently switch phones, or just prefer hardware controls this is a significant perk. See More

Top Con

No automation

This thermostat doesn't offer any smart learning or automation. While it does allow you to program a schedule into it and adjust the temperature remotely, that's just about the extent of its smarts. It doesn't offer motion sensors or track your location in any way. See More

Top Pro

Design is conservative, and looks like a regular thermostat

While most smart thermostats go the full mile when it comes to futuristic design, this Sensi thermostat takes a more traditional approach. Just by looking at it, you wouldn't be able to tell that this is a smart thermostat. See More

Top Con

Old fashioned looking

Most smart thermostats look the part - they look smart. This one looks just like any regular old thermostat, including the clunky buttons, large physical body and monochrome display. See More

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